


The Yaksha of the Guras Grove

by Alpenglow3241



Series: How many mythical beings au can Shreya write [1]
Category: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author has some regrets, Folktale - Freeform, How Do I Tag, Indian mythology - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Blood, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Not Really Character Death, Yaksha Aman, i mean he doesnt die perse, like 2 min maggi you know, more like instant rebirth, pl ignore some of the tags, though he does need to leave his mortal body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24552841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alpenglow3241/pseuds/Alpenglow3241
Summary: One of folktales documented in an anthology about the folktales based on the flora and fauna of the Himalayas.
Relationships: Kartik Singh/Aman Tripathi
Series: How many mythical beings au can Shreya write [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787347
Comments: 15
Kudos: 17





	The Yaksha of the Guras Grove

**Author's Note:**

> This has a kinda Nepali base, so if you want you can imagine that this is a Nepali folktale. I have also added a few in fic footnotes to this, to sort of make it feel as authentic as a folktale from an anthology. Also i have played very hard and fast with Indian mythology in this, kinda made some stuff up. So do not expect it to be very exact with what's written in Indian scriptures.

_The Himalayas are one of the greatest vaults of natural treasures. One such treasure is the Rhododendron flower, well known around the world for its toxins and its medicinal uses. It is a very important flower to the people who live by the foothills of the mountain ranges, also known as the_ Guras _to some of the communities. This is one such folktale based around this flower. It tells the origins of the red_ Guras _flowers. Read on….._

In the foothills of the Himalayas, there was a _Guras_ grove. It was Lord _Kuber's_ most favored grove, and was guarded by a _yaksha_ who went by the name of Aman. Aman was a powerful spirit, who's only wish was to remain unbothered by the small kingdom a little away from the grove. Many years back, he had made a deal with the people of the kingdom, back when it was but a village. Each year, in the spring months, they would be allowed access to the grove for a week to collect the medicinally valued flowers in exchange for not disturbing the area around grove the rest of the year. However, Aman was also careful with the flowers, only allowing them to be collected after their poison was removed from them. He knew well the destructive nature of humans and couldn't bear to be the cause of more harm, having been a witness to it over all the years he'd lived.

But this peace couldn't last forever. King Drupadh, the latest in the long line of the kings, was a cruel, power hungry man. He lusted after the infamous poison, known well for its fast acting nature. He wished to have it, to use it as an axe to fell any of the voices of dissent that rose against him. He wanted control over the grove, so he could use it to control his citizens, though he was no match for the _yaksha_ guarding it. But Drupadh was a cunning man, he knew brute strength was not the way to go. After much scheming, he called for Kaali, a tantrik who was well known for his knowledge about the black magics. He ordered Kaali to use his knowledge and weaken the powers of the _yaksha_ . The tantrik, after much forethought, decided to use the voodoo practices he had come across during his travels, since they were foreign magics [1] . He bound the _yaksha_ to a doll and handed it over to the king.

King Drupadh imprisoned Aman in the dungeons and kept the doll in his bed chambers. A servant named Kartik was appointed to take care of the _yaksha's_ needs. Like many others, Kartik disagreed with the king's actions; he didn't like how underhandedly the king had forwarded his goals. His kind nature rebelled against the cruelty. So he would often try to provide comfort to the _yaksha_ , be it increased portions of food and water, or a supply of unprocessed natural goods [2]. Kartik's friendly disposition had earned him many friends among the palace staff, which helped him to carry out these activities under the king's nose. Everytime he went to the cell, he would try to make conversation, talking about everything under the sun. For a long time, Aman was very apprehensive of this, silently glaring at the man as he waited for the other shoe to drop. But Kartik's affable nature made him warm up to the man soon. Between exchange of stories and mutual admiration, it did not take much time for them to become close friends.

It took even less time for them to catch feelings for each other. After all, Lord _Kama_ is ever reckless with his arrows, only seeking to uncover the potential of love among any entities. Their love bloomed like the Guras flowers, a wild, beautiful, fragile thing. The more it grew, the more Kartik chafed at Aman's imprisonment. He could see how the _yaksha_ longed to be back at the grove, the distance weighing down on his shoulders. Unable to bear it any longer, he started to plan an escape. Knowing about the doll being kept in the bedchambers, he enlisted the help of his friend Devika, who was the head chambermaid and the only one allowed into the king’s chambers. With the help of another one of his friends Ravi, a guardsman, he sketched out an escape route that will allow them to escape unnoticed. Aman had at first protested when he got to know of the plan, knowing well that Kartik shall be executed as a traitor if they got caught, but Kartik's conviction over its success made him amiable to it.

Finally on the last night of the winter months, they carried out their plan. Their plan worked successfully and both of them escaped the palace. But as they were crossing the border, the sound of a conch shattered the peace of the night air. The king had discovered their escape ! With worry and fear giving wind to their footsteps, they hurried towards the safety of the grove. Soon enough, they could see the bushes of the white flowers in the faint moonlight. Relief flooded their hearts and, unknowingly their pace slowed down. Alas ! This turned out to be a fatal mistake. A great whoosh of the air was their only warning before a spear pierced Kartik's torso. A guttural scream escaped his throat as he fell to the ground, his blood splattering on the flowers nearby. 

The pain in the scream twisted something deep inside Aman, unleashing a dark part that was rarely seen. As he fell to the ground beside Kartik, many wild creatures emerged from the grove's vicinity. Growling leopards and bears chased away the king's guards, and the elephants and rhinoceros stood guard over the man bleeding on the ground, while Aman rushed to gather some of the _Guras_ flowers, blood staining fingers and flowers alike. Healing chants fell from his mouth, as he tried to close the wound, to no avail. The spear had pierced too deep and no chants could close its gaping, blood-drooling mouth. In a last ditch effort, he started praying to Lord Yakshamurti [3] . His ardent prayers called to the god and he appeared before him. Aman pleaded to the one who is also known as Ghrneshwara, the lord of compassion, to save the life of the man bearing his son's name. The sight of the _yaksha_ weeping over his dying lover moved the Lord deeply. Seeing the damage to his body, the Lord made Kartik into a _yaksha_ , allowing him to discard his mortal coil without passing to the realm of the dead. Blessing them with long lives, he left for his abode. The two lovers stayed still for sometime, basking in the wake of the Lord's presence, before disappearing into the grove with the beasts.

Soon after, the grove closed itself off completely to the humans, a result of the king's transgressions. Any one that entered its vicinity was scared off by the wildlife. No one ever saw the two of them again, it was as if they had vanished into the winds. The only proof of their existence were the baskets of flowers left at the kingdom borders every year in the spring months, the flowers now no longer white but permanently stained red.

  
  


Footnotes:

[1] According to various legends, magical practices and curses that have non - native origins are harder to break and are sometimes used to counter local supernatural creatures.

[2] _Yakshas_ are nature spirits and guardians of earthly treasures. Being kept in unnatural surroundings can take a toll on them and cause them to waste away.

[3] The _yakshagan_ know Lord Shiva as Lord Yakshamurti and often pray to him, knowing his fair treatment of all creatures, be they celestial or earthly.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a fun exercise in writing. Leave kudos and comments if y'all like this. Would love to know how you feel about it.  
> I'm also on tumblr as @madlyinlovewithwords
> 
> EDIT: So there's a fic written that's based on this called By Any (Other) Name. It's written by Tinevisce and it's absolutely beautiful with many different magical beliefs woven masterfully into it. Go read it and also do read the other fics they have written (especially the VIBGYOR Series, which is one of my favs)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [By Any (Other) Name](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24583927) by [Tinevisce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinevisce/pseuds/Tinevisce)




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